Why Tolerate Guns at School?

Shame on you! Why would you ever consider allowing people to legally carry guns on school grounds? How does proposing a bill that allows gun owners with a legal permit to enter school grounds with a gun, worthy of your time, energy or consideration? Why would gun owners need to carry a gun with them to pick up their kids anyway?

Parents and teachers with concealed handgun permits could legally bring their guns to school under a bill that Cleveland County lawmakers supported in the state House last week.

A measure to loosen gun restrictions in the Tar Heel State would allow concealed carry permit-holders to have their handguns on school grounds if the firearms are kept inside a closed compartment or container within a locked car. Reps. Tim Moore, Kelly Hastings and Mike Hager voted for the bill, which won approval in the House June 7 and is slated for committee hearings in the state Senate.

“If you’re going to pick your child up at school and you’re otherwise a law-abiding citizen and have no criminal intent, you should not be charged as a felon just because you’re exercising your Second Amendment right,” said Hastings, a primary sponsor of House Bill 650.

Supporters stress that those with concealed-carry permits meet stringent safety requirements and pass criminal background checks, but educators fear that allowing handguns on school property would increase the likelihood of violent crime.

“I have concerns both as a superintendent and as a parent,” said Cleveland County Schools Superintendent Dr. Bruce Boyles. “I understand the right to have firearms, but I also understand the potential for them to become a problem on the school campus.

”‘Not like the wild west’

Hastings said allowing adults with valid concealed handgun permits to keep their guns locked securely in the car when they drop off and pick up their children wouldn’t affect school safety. Anyone who can’t legally carry concealed or who intends to commit a crime would still face severe punishment.

“The very few people this will apply to have had to meet a very high burden to be able to carry a firearm,” he said. “It’s not like the wild west. There are still a lot of restrictions in place.”

Parents’ passion for both their children’s education and their participation in sports and activities can sometimes make tempers run hot, Boyles said. Adding guns to that volatile mix, he fears, could put parents, educators and children at greater risk.

“We have parents who come on campus from time to time who are unhappy with one of our decisions or something that’s happened between their child and another child,” he said. “It’s troubling to think about the potential for a change that would allow weapons to be on our campuses.”

With all the problems facing the world today, surely they could have pushed this brainless idea to the side.